Complications
by Jack Walker
Summary: (Rewrite of To Begin at the End) Kai's crush on Misaki takes a turn when she suddenly accepts Miwa's confession. In a state of sadness, he leaves only to find Asaka crying for being kicked out of Team Asteroid by Ren. In an unlikely turn, Kai finds himself offering Asaka to live with him for the time being. Two broken hearts come together to better each other. Or do they go back?


**A/N: So I didn't really have any plans of writing anymore but I still play and watch Vanguard. With the anime becoming a complete shitshow of plotarmor bullshit with rushed fights and no character development, I felt like I could do a better job at writing Vanguard so yeah, here I am after five years. I'm not really that creative so I'm just going to rewrite my best story. I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard except for their trading card products and/or related tcg products.**

Chapter 1: Unexpected Times Two

The sun slowly started to set in the distance as people started to wind down their days. Businessmen and women could be seen walking towards the train station to catch the next train home while the students from various different schools freely made their way home or to some popular cafe. The school term had just come to a close with the last days of exams wrapping up, only those who were apart of a club or sport stayed behind. While some chose to stay at school to finish up their work or hang out with their friends, others decided to leave school behind and have fun. Some people's ideas of fun include eating at all the popular cafes and restaurants in the city or shopping at the busy mall, a certain group of people found enjoyment simply from playing a card game at a local card shop.

This card shop, CardCapital, possesses a welcoming aura, save for the scary looking clerk at the front of the store. It was here that people of all skill levels, from simple beginners to aspiring pros, to meet up and simply have fun with the game that they enjoy. CardCapital was owned by Shin, a scawny looking man in his mid 20s with dull green spikey hair, who had a passion for the game of Vanguard despite not playing the game. The scary looking clerk in the front was his niece, Misaki, who comes to manage the store after school. She had long lilac hair and always had a stern look on her face; she also is rarely seen in anything but her school uniform from Miyaji Academy. At first, Misaki didn't really enjoy working at CardCaptial as like Shin, she didn't play Vanguard. It wasn't until a certain group showed up to the shop and started to change things.

This group seemingly had everyone: a shy blue haired boy who had just started to play the game, a spikey haired boy who idolized said shy boy, an idiotic bully who has an obsession over grade 3s and his friend who just follows him around, a goofy blonde who always tries to crack a joke, and his serious brunette friend who seemingly has no desire to socialize whatsoever. A lot has happened once this group became a regular appearance at the shop, from forming CardCapital's team Q4 to winning nationals to facing off against the strongest team in Team Asteroid. Now though, things were beginning to wind down to usual antics such as Kamui wanting to do everything with Aichi, Morikawa demanding cardfights to prove he's the best, Izaki hopelessly trying to stop his best friend, Kai sitting to the side looking bored as usual, and Miwa flirting around with Misaki, which Kai finds very annoying.

Most of the group simply just wrote it off as Kai being his usual self but there was something about Miwa trying to get closer to Misaki that irked him the wrong way. When it had first started, Kai had thought that it was just because Miwa was making a fool of himself. But the more it happened, the more he realized it wasn't just because it was Miwa but because it also involved Misaki. It seemed rather odd for Kai to be interested in Misaki given their limited interactions but those few interactions were enough for Kai to feel something. He could even remember those times such as when he awkwardly tried to comfort Misaki when she came out about her parents to accidentally touching hands while watching Aichi in the final match at nationals. All those little interactions seemed to have amounted to something that Kai hasn't felt before: having a crush.

Ever since, Kai began to notice the little things about Misaki. He began to like her personality, how it was quite similar to his own and appreciate how even though she doesn't seem to show it, she cares about the people of Q4. He noticed how long and soft her hair looked, how her eyes focused in on the book that she's reading but immediately soften up when petting Assistacat, and how she began to slowly open up the group. And to Miwa.

It was because of this crush that Kai has felt an increasing annoyance about Miwa. He really didn't do anything wrong per say, but each thing that Kai found annoying about him grew even more irritating after he started to notice his crush towards Misaki. There wasn't much that Kai could do, however, as Miwa had a head start. Miwa was already vocal about his liking towards Misaki and the fact that he also works at CardCapital too made these interactions ever so more often whereas what was Kai supposed to do? If he goes up to Misaki and starts conversing with her, not only would it be awkward between them but also it would cause quite a commotion in the shop. So instead of acting on his feelings (although Kai doesn't even know how to), Kai elected to simply watch from a distance. Things would surely go his way if he simply waited. Good things come to those who wait, right?

However, you miss all the shots you never take.

"Misaki!" Miwa yelled, leaning over the counter. Misaki simply looked up from her book, looking unamused. Assistacat stirred in his sleep from how loud Miwa was.

"What is it?" said a bored Misaki as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She only looked up for a moment before going back to her book.

"H-Hey! Don't ignore me! How about we go out on a date, huh?" Miwa urged. Misaki, having heard this time and time again, was unfazed.

"I'll pass," she simply said, causing an internal sigh of relief from Kai. Miwa, on the other hand, looked determined.

"No, I mean it. Let's go out on a date. I'll take you out to all the nice restaurants that you want. I'll get you everything that you want. You and I have been getting closer now and I can feel that. Can you please give me a chance?" Miwa begged. Misaki looked up and was taken aback by the seriousness in his face. Normally, when Miwa would ask her out, he would have a light hearted face that made her think he was joking. Maybe he actually meant it.

Misaki didn't know what to do or say in this scenario. Even though she had been asked out many times before by Miwa, she always passed it off as a joke. Now that she knew he was being serious this entire time, she doesn't know how to respond or even think. What do girls usually do in this case? Do they just accept? If she said no, would it hurt his feelings? All of these emotions and thoughts were rushing through her head right now and all that left her with her mouth gaping open, no words uttered through.

"Please," Miwa said quietly. "It would mean the world to me." Misaki's face reddened at that statement. She never felt this sort of emotion before. Was this love? Was this embarrassment? She doesn't even know what she doesn't know. Misaki thought about it for a moment, about what would happen if she says yes and if she says no. If she says no, it could mean a lot of things. It could mean that she hurt Miwa's feelings and have him stop coming to the shop. If she says yes, then she would see whether or not this dating thing is right for her. Besides, even if she ends up not enjoying herself, it would be much easier to go from yes to no than it is from no to yes so why not?

"S-Sure," Misaki said shyly, putting her book in front of her face. She looked to the side hoping to not look at anyone out of embarrassment. Miwa stared at her for a second before jumping up in joy. In his excitement, he pulled Misaki's book aside and went in for a kiss, however only hitting her cheek as she was facing to the side. Now this caused quite a ruckus throughout the shop even though only the regulars of the Q4 group were left. The first to react besides Misaki who was busy yelling at Miwa for making such a move was Shin, who pulled Miwa aside to give him a lecture of his own on what he can and cannot do with Misaki, what time he would have her back, when he was able to meet her, etc. The next was Morikawa, who after witnessing such a confession, proclaimed his love for Kourin once again while Izaki awkwardly tried to get Morikawa off from the table. Aichi and Kamui simply went up to congratulate the two, although shortly after, Kamui too proclaimed his love for Emi. The only person who didn't show any reaction was Kai, although on the inside, he was feeling all sorts of things.

Feelings of anger, jealousy, betrayal were all going through his mind right now though he still played his cool self off. He couldn't believe Miwa actually got Misaki to accept a date with him and all he did was ask seriously. He just couldn't believe his friend right now and he couldn't believe that Misaki had even accepted in the first place. What was there to like about Miwa? All he does is make dumb jokes and be loud. What's so great about that? And what did Miwa do to deserve Misaki? Sure, he did make a move unlike Kai but he also knows what Miwa thinks of Misaki.

During one night when Miwa stayed over at his house, their conversation somehow made it towards Misaki. Kai, not wanting to reveal his crush to his friend, played it off, simply giving vague answers to all of Miwa's remarks. Miwa didn't even say anything about Misaki's personality or other traits. All Miwa talked about that night was how hot Misaki was and about the things he would do to her that even made Kai redden in embarrassment. Those were such shallow taste and he simply could not think that he would appreciate her anything but.

He couldn't deal just looking at Miwa anymore; he was too angry and emotional to even think straight at the moment. Kai got up from his chair abruptly and made his way to the exit. Miwa looked over at his friend and went over to him, putting his arm around his shoulders.

"Can you believe it buddy? I got myself a girlfriend!" Miwa bragged. Kai became irritated at this, swatting away his arm.

"Well done," Kai simply said. "It's too loud for my tastes in here so I'm going to get some fresh air." Kai glanced over at Misaki, who for a brief moment caught his eye but immediately looked away. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or from shame but at this point, it didn't matter. He needed to distance himself from all of this. He needed to get away from Miwa. He needed to get away from her.

_A few moments later…_

Kai walked down the street aimlessly, not caring where he was going as long as it was far away from CardCapital. He didn't really know what to do at this point. Does he just act like everything is okay? Does he move on? No, Kai refused to move on. Moving on meant that he would lose to Miwa and his stupid pride would not let that happen. Although, at this point, it feels like he has lost to Miwa, losing a battle in which he didn't know would be so important and that he didn't give it his all. He just wanted to block the world out right now so maybe he should just take a nap at his favorite bench in the park.

Dragging his feet along, he found his way to the nearby park, the lamp lights turning on as the sun finally set and it became night. It would be secluded here, void of any distractions as everyone should be home by now. But he was wrong for the second time today, as there was someone at the park. This person was on his favorite bench, hands in their face. By the look of things, this person appears to be crying. Approaching closer, he noticed that this person was a girl and that she had long blue hair. She wore a matching blue outfit with pink accessories and it was at this point he realized that the person sitting in front of him was Asaka Narumi.

It was strange to see her silently sobbing in the middle of the night. Usually, she would be in the Foo Fighters's building either training with the rest of Team Asteroid or fawning over Ren. She was rarely seen outside save for tournaments or if Ren is somehow involved. But the fact that she's crying by herself in the middle of the night seems to tell a different story. And the bags by her feet added more complexity to things.

Kai didn't know what to really do or say. He never really talked with Asaka before, having only exchanged remarks here and there when he had his dispute with Ren. Still, he should approach her with caution and care. He was already having girl problems as it were and he didn't want another one.

"Hey," Kai said. Asaka sobbed a bit more before looking up. Her eyes were red from all the crying that she's been doing and from the look of her makeup, she was crying real bad. "What are you doing here all alone? Shouldn't you be with Ren or something?"

At the mention of Ren, Asaka put her face in her hands again and cried even harder. Kai didn't even know what he had just done. Maybe she had a falling out with Ren? That's impossible, Kai thought. Asaka is heads over heels for Ren. She was one of Ren's most loyal followers who would even die for him. There was no way they had a falling out. Sure, Ren never really acknowledged Asaka but that was besides the point. Although, Ren would be a fool as to not acknowledge Asaka. Even with their limited interactions, Kai wasn't dumb enough to not notice how attractive Asaka was.

Not knowing what to do next, Kai simply sat down on the bench next to Asaka, who, at the moment he sat down, immediately hugged him, crying into his chest. This caught Kai by surprise, not really sure what was even happening. His chest was getting wet from all of Asaka's tears but what was he to do? Push her away? In normal circumstances, he would've done it without hesitation but with all the emotions he built up inside, he couldn't let there be two sad people. He still had a heart, believe it or not.

Kai turned his body to the side, wrapping his arms around Asaka to hold her closer. The least he could do is provide some sort of comfort to her. As he held her tighter, however, he began to notice how big her chest was and how it was pushing into his own. Kai wasn't a pervert like Morikawa by any means but he was still a guy. He blushed a bit from the feeling and simply lessen his grip onto her.

There they sat in the night in the middle of the park on a bench. Kai held onto Asaka as she cried her heart out, trying to ignore her chest that was constantly pushing into him. He still doesn't even know what she was crying about or what the bags by her feet were for.

After what seemed like an eternity, Asaka pushed herself up, wiping her face with her hands, though all that did was smeer her makeup even more. "T-Thank you, Kai," Asaka said weakly in between sniffs.

"No problem," Kai replied. "But I'll just cut to the chase. Why are you out here by yourself and crying for that matter?"

Asaka let out a few more tears before answering. "R-Ren-sama. He...He...He…" she struggled saying. Kai didn't want to push her to say anything much. This girl was too emotional right now so it was key to let her go at her own speed.

"He what?" Kai asked. This peaked his curiosity. Was he right about a falling out of sorts or did something happen to Ren? That still wouldn't explain the bags at her feet.

"He...He kicked me out!" Asaka finally answered, before falling back into Kai's chest. "He said I was too weak and that I would drag the team down. It's not my fault that I'm too weak. There's just not enough good people to practice against and Ren-sama has high expectations out of everyone! But he still outed me! Of all people! He even said that little brat Kyou was better than me. Kyou! And so he said he didn't want to be near weak people anymore which doesn't make sense since I won against Misaki!"

Kai was pretty preoccupied with Asaka and her situation that he had forgotten all about Misaki. Though, he wish he had really forgotten. This brought a frown upon his face. So it seems like Ren kicked Asaka out which is rather strange considering she had a better showing than Kyou. Maybe Ren's thirst for power was getting to him, causing him to throw away those around him. But what was he to do about it? He wasn't strong enough to beat him, not when Ren still has that power. Maybe that's what's causing this. But that problem can be dealt with at a later time. Right now, he needed to devote his attention to the girl in front of him.

"Look, from the look of things, Ren doesn't seem to be himself right now. Just give it some time. Just go home and rest," Kai finally said. Asaka looked at Kai for a moment before her eyes started to drop tears again.

"B-But I don't have a home!" she cried, going into Kai's chest once again. "Team Asteroid was all that I had. But now that's gone! I'm nothing! I'm nothing with my Ren-sama!"

Kai pushed Asaka back, holding onto her arms tightly. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "Ren doesn't matter right now. What matters right now is you and what you need is to take care of yourself. You're an amazing girl who has a talent for cardfighting and Ren doesn't know what he's missing. But until then, you need to make sure the one person more important than Ren is okay, that person being you."

Asaka looked at Kai in amazement and without word. It was rare for her to be talking with Kai outside of tournaments and to have this conversation and to even hear such serious words from him stunned her. His words were a bit eye-opening, however. She had been too preoccupied with what has happened with Ren that she didn't bother to care about what is happening with her. He was right. She needed to take care of herself first.

"T-thanks for the words of encouragement, Kai," Asaka said. "But that doesn't change that I have nowhere to go." And at this point, Kai made a sudden decision that would change their lives for the near future.

"Look, you can stay at my apartment. I don't mind having you around. Besides, I can always sleep on the couch if it makes you feel any better. You can live with me for the time being until we can get you back up on your feet. How does that sound?" Kai offered. Asaka, amazed at Kai's offer, stared at him in a bit of a shock. She then looked away from him in embarrassment. He was offering for them to live together alone in his apartment. Alone with a boy! Even when she was living at the Foo Fighters' building, she was with other girls as well. She wasn't too sure about all of this. Could she trust Kai? Ren hated his guts, though he never did tell her what for. But then again, she literally had nothing and here he was offering her something. She turned to look at Kai once again and found Kai looking back at her with a deep care. The look on his face was serious yet his eyes looked soft, although it also had a sort of sadness to them. Despite their brief history with each other, in that moment, Asaka felt like she could trust him with everything.

"O-Okay," she finally said, gripping onto the sleeve of his jacket.

"Alright, let's get to it then. It's really dark out already," Kai said, standing up and grabbing Asaka's bags. She thanked him silently in her head for doing so without being asked.

In a moment of quick decision, she stood up as well and gave Kai a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for listening," Asaka said. "And for helping me."

Kai was glad that it was dark out otherwise Asaka would notice how red his face was. He never would've thought that he would get kissed on the cheek by Asaka today. Then again, he never thought that Miwa would get a date with Misaki so he guess he should expect the unexpected then.

"You know, I haven't done that to anyone before," Asaka said. "Not even to Ren." She blushed at that last statement, not even sure why she was even saying that part to Kai. He didn't need to know that but at the same time, it felt kind of right for him to know. Regardless of how small that may seem, it might make whatever sadness he may be feeling go away.

"T-thanks!" Kai said quickly. "Now let's get going. It's getting really late now." Kai then started walking towards his apartment, stopping to turn to Asaka. "You coming?" he asked.

"Yeah yeah I'm coming," she said, carrying the last of her bag and suitcase with her. She walked up to Kai who had stopped and looked at him. Kai looked back at her as well and for a brief moment, the whole world was just them. Shaking it off, Kai started walking again with Asaka trailing slightly behind, who had a small smile on her face.

**A/N: So I've actually stopped using Fanfiction in favor of AO3 because of the better tagging system and more content for ShuAnn and Todomomo but I felt like the Cardfight Vanguard section here could use more Kai that doesn't involved Aichi. Tell me what you think about this rewrite and if it's something you would like to follow more. I kind of wrote this in one sitting after watching the latest Vanguard episode so there may be mistakes. Hopefully, this hatred for the anime will drive me to actually follow through with this story.**


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